Annual General Meeting
SAFFRON WALDEN GOLF CLUB
Wednesday 2nd October 2013
Attending: 56 Members
Apologies: Graham Handscombe; Clive Osborne; George Clapinski; Keith Fleming; Ray Smith; Richard Douglas; John Williams; Michael Peak; David Fryer.
The Captain prior to opening the AGM requested a minute’s silence in respect of John Mandeville and other members who sadly died during the year.
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2012 Minutes
AGM held on 4th October 2012 at St. Neots Golf Club.
No matters arising.
Approved and signed.
Statement of Accounts Year End 31st August 2013.
Accounts Audited by John Peckett.
Two questions asked prior to the AGM by Tony Andrews (Girton GC). Questions answered by the Treasurer.
Approved and signed.
Secretary’s Report
Accounts
Income is down regarding subscriptions and losses have been recorded at County Matches and the Annual Dinner.
Both areas the Committee have studied and will implement changes that will hopefully partly or totally rectify the situation.
Membership
2012 Members – 272
2013 Members – 258 (Gained 5 – but lost members from Royston and Waterbeach.)
The Committee have looked at the Annual Subscription of £20 and decided no increase is warranted.
Founder Clubs Withdrawal of Course Courtesy.
This problem has been dealt with by your Committee and Club Liaison Officers and a solution was found which was in the best interest of the Society and our Affiliated Clubs.
I have produced and publish a report to all members via Club Liaison Officers explaining the situation and the final outcome.
Club Donation/Gratuity
Implementing the new Club Donation/Gratuity Package will affect both Society Fixtures and County Matches.
Considerable research into the future costs of the Society and County Match fees have taken place. The Committee have decided on the following which I hope you will all support.
The critical factor in both areas will be numbers (i.e. players)
County Matches.
We know the numbers in this area and all our County Matches will encapsulate the £300 Club Donation/Gratuity Bracket.
Based on increases in catering costs by most clubs in 2014 and the additional Club Donation/Gratuity (£300) the Committee have decided to increase the County Match Fee to £35.
The Committee will at the end of 2014 review the situation.
Society Matches
Numbers unknown, however, we are hoping for better support next year and based on that prediction the Committee have decided not to increase the fee from £30.
The Committee will at the end of 2014 review the situation.
Annual Dinner
The spiralling costs over the past years of our Annual Dinner have caused the Committee great concern and we are seriously looking at positive ways to reduce the loss.
The ticket price will not be decided until December when the catering costs are published by the Colleges. However, there is a possibility of an increase, but we will have to wait and see.
Website
More and more members are using the site which is very rewarding. Two additional sections will be added; the first, County Team Selection of players will be available on the site, however this is not a replacement of Match Mangers all communication will still be their responsibility.
The second addition is another one of my “money making schemes” which the Committee have approved. A Classified Section; we all have loads of golfing equipment at home just gathering dust, so why not advertise them on our website to other members. You type out the equipment you have for sale, email or mail it to me, I place it on the website, and whoever wants to purchase it contacts you directly.
Cost 1 to 5 Items £5 and 6 to 10 items £10
It will all help towards the website running costs.
Jubilee Year
Our 2015 Captain Malcolm Coe and I are already researching locations and preparing a schedule of event during 2015. More information will be published next year, when yet again costs are known.
Revision to Club Rotation
Sadly, Menzies Golf Club is unable to find a candidate for the position of Captain for 2017.
The Committee have therefore, on club rotation, asked the Gog Magog Golf Club Captains to democratically nominate a candidate for the position of Captain in the year 2017. Due to time, they will inform the Committee of their candidate within the next several months.
Captain’s Report
It was a pleasure from the start to represent the Society as Captain over the past year. I have always felt it a privilege to be a member of a Society which allows you to play golf with a wide range of friendly people on a variety of golf courses. As Captain you get to meet an even wider range of people and play on yet more courses, so it had to be good.
I came to the position more rapidly than most because I was a replacement for Keith Fleming when illness forced his withdrawal, so I had less preparation on the Committee than normal. Despite that I have endeavoured to represent the Society positively at all functions and matches over my period of office, which has raced by.
A normal Captain’s year starts after all the matches for the year are completed, giving a gentle break-in of a few dinners before the build-up to our Society Dinner and start of the matches and competitions. My year was different, we had a match at Bourn GC against Hampshire, IOW and CI Golf Captain’s in the first week, a brand new opponent born of a
chance meeting in Cuba. Fortunately the sun shined on us that day, I got my first “hole-in-
- one” and we won the match comfortably. Even better, one of the opposition also had a
“hole-in-one” so my bar bill was halved. The year was under way and a positive pattern set which continued all through.
We have played 8 two-way matches, resulting in 5 wins, one half and two losses. In the 5 three-way matches we have won, 2 seconds and 2 thirds. It would be greedy to look for a much better return. I managed to play all of the matches. In total 68 members applied to play and, provided they tried again if not picked first time, all played. I thank everyone for putting their names forward and representing the Society in this way, and must particularly thank the individual Match Managers for their work, which is so vital to the smooth running of our matches with other Counties.
The Society competitions were well attended, but there is always room for many more at any event. I played in all but two events, the Inter-Club at Bourn, where I was surplus to requirements for Heydon Grange, and my Captain’s Day, where I had other duties. Standards were high at all events and winning scores good, often only sorted by count-backs.
Again I thank everybody who played in the Competitions, and those who helped make things happen on the day.
A thank you too to all the clubs who hosted us this year. Because this was a heavy year for home matches, every affiliated club has been used for some function. We have appreciated their hospitality.
The Society Dinner in April was a highlight of the year. We returned to Queens’ College and were treated to an excellent meal in a very good venue. The evening was completed by an entertaining speaker. Thank you to all who attended, and particularly to those who brought guests. We had an attendance of around 150 on the night, which is very good, and the feedback from both members and guests was very positive. However, the more we can persuade to attend and the more guests we bring the better it works for the Society finances overall, so if you were there please spread the word, and if you were not, please try to attend. The hall can take a larger attendance without any problem.
One person has been of enormous support over the whole year and that is David Orwell, Honorary Secretary and Treasurer. A huge amount of unseen work goes into setting up events, often more than a year ahead, of sorting out details of meals at venues, of handling last minute changes, of ensuring clothing orders are met, running the website, of collecting cash and cheques at events, doing the banking and collating the financial reports. Add to that this year the significant hassle of three clubs wanting to withdraw Course Courtesy, requiring multiple meetings to resolve matters. You may get some idea from that of the task
David undertakes on our behalf, and then he gets me asking all sorts of annoying questions as well. We should all be thankful to the Hon. Sec.
Further thanks go to all the Club Liaison Officers for their efforts to ensure smooth communications with Members during the year. This role is vital to success of the Society, and I urge you all to keep working hard on getting your club members first to join the Society, and then to participate in competitions and matches and to attend the Annual Dinner. You are key to our success.
Thanks too to the Committee for their work and support. I know Vice Captain Tony would have wished to participate more over the year, but we understood the problems, and I wish him great pleasure and success for the coming year.
My final thanks go to someone not in the Society, but several of you met her on Captain’s Day, and that is my wife Jean who has supported me fully throughout the year.
Election of the Captain & Officers.
The Captain
Tony Jenkins (St.Neots GC) formally proposed by Phil Black Captain 2013 as the SCAGC 2014 Captain.
Approved by the members.
Chain of Office and Captain’s tie presented to Captain Tony who then made his acceptance speak.
Captain Tony presented Past Captain Phil with his Past Captains Badge
Vice Captain
The Captain introduced his proposed Vice Captain Malcolm Coe of The Links Golf Club for 2014.
Approved by members
Secretary and Treasurer.
The Captain proposed David Orwell
Approved by members
Auditor
The Captain proposed John Peckett
Approved by members
Captain & Vice Captain
Captain Tony Jenkins St. Neots GC
Vice Captain Malcolm Coe Links GC
Committee Members
Tony Jenkins St. Neots GC
Malcolm Coe Links GC
Phil Black Heydon Grange GC
David Creek Brampton Park GC
Hugh Carlisle Girton GC
John Bufton Ramsey GC
To be advised Gog Magog GC
Secretary & Treasurer
David Orwell Links GC
Retiring Committee Members.
The Captain of behalf of the members thanked Ray Smith (Barkway Park GC) for the many years of service he has spent on Committee and wished him well for the future.
Retiring Club Liaison Officers.
The Captain on behalf of the members thanked Steve Gedney (Cambridge Meridian GC) and Keith Fleming (St. Ives GC) for their many years of service as Liaison Officers.
Club Liaison Officers 2014.
Captain announced the SCAGC Affiliated Club Liaison Officers for 2014.
Abbotsley GC Graham Powell
Barkway Park GC Ray Smith
Bourn GC Keith Howlett
Brampton Park GC David Creek
Cambridge Meridian GC Garry Matthews (New)
Ely City GC Ian Bridgeman
Girton GC Hugh Carlisle
Gog Magog GC David Blackman
Heydon Grange GC Phil Black
Links GC Ian Pountain
March GC John Peckett
Ramsey GC Lyn Griffiths
Saffron Walden GC John Latham
St. Ives GC George Clapinski (New)
St. Neots GC Gus Albon
Approved by members
Any Other Business
Derrick Saunders (Girton GC)
- When large numbers of players are competing we should have a two tee start.
- Guest Day prizes should be better than 2 bottles of wine.
No other questions from the floor, the meeting closed at 7.15
David G. Orwell
Hon: Secretary & Treasurer
30th October 2013
